Double trouble

Accident, fire in downtown Escanaba

February 19, 2011

ESCANABA - A minor fire and a one-vehicle crash, unrelated to one another, occurred in downtown Escanaba within a couple blocks and within a couple hours of each other Friday afternoon, according to Escanaba Public Safety.

Officers and emergency medical personnel responded to a one-vehicle personal injury accident shortly before noon after a 1999 GMC pickup truck crashed into an electrical pole at 11th Street and Ludington Street, said police.

The driver, a 40-year-old Rapid River man, had experienced a medical problem prior to the crash, according to the accident report. When police arrived, the subject was advised to stay in his vehicle until power was cut off to an exposed live wire at the accident scene. The driver later sought his own treatment at OSF St. Francis Hospital.

Article Photos

Holly Richer | Daily PressEscanaba Public Safety Officer Dave Johnson, at left, photographs the scene of a single-vehicle accident at the corner of Ludington Street and 11th Street in downtown Escanaba Friday afternoon. The driver, a 40-year-old man from Rapid River, experienced a medical problem prior to the crash and later sought his own treatment at the hospital.

Holly Richer | Daily PressA fire truck is hown at the scene of a fire in downtown Escanaba Friday.

Officers were assisted at the scene by Escanaba electric workers and Rampart Ambulance personnel.

At 1:24 p.m., an hour and a half after the accident downtown, public safety responded to a structure fire at 914.5 Ludington Street. Upon arrival, an officer saw flames coming from a rear stairwell in the building. The fire was quickly extinguished.

The tenant and her child were home in the building at the time of the fire and fled to a safe area. No injuries were reported, said police.

The fire is said to have originated in the upper stairwell and was accidentally caused by cigarette smoking. Water and smoke damage was contained to the stairwell.